The 18th US- China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) will be held here on December 11, Deputy US Trade Representative (USTR) Karan Bhatia told the press at the US embassy on Wednesday.

And the third US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) may be held right after the JCCT on December 12 and 13, he said.

Bhatia and US Acting Under Secretary of Commerce Christopher Padilla were on a visit to China for making preparations for the upcoming JCCT meeting and the third SED between the two countries.

During their visit from October 8 to 10, they met with China's Vice Commerce Minister Ma Xiuhong and discussed issues on China's industrial policies, product safety and market access for services, medical equipment and agricultural sectors.

Bhatia said the US business community is excited and optimistic about the opportunities that China has presented. The United States hopes to make joint efforts with China to solve problems such as trade protectionism, intellectual property rights protection and product safety.

 Bhatia said the United States also hoped China would play a bigger role in international or regional trade mechanisms such as the World Trade Organization and the APEC.

Padilla commented the meeting with Chinese commerce official as "productive" and said he hoped China could continue its opening up policy toward foreign enterprises through specific measures and policies.

The JCCT, commenced in 1983, was a bilateral venue for the US and China to address trade and market access issues.

Launched in September 2006, the biannual SED between Beijing and Washington serves as a platform to discuss long-term, strategic and comprehensive issues in the bilateral trade relationship.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2007)